The parents of an Ancaster, Ont. man accused in a massive data breach of Yahoo emails maintain their son’s innocence, telling CNN their son was a caring person who loved his family.
Twenty-two-year-old Karim Baratov was arrested earlier this month under the extradition act at his home in Ancaster, Ont.
U.S. authorities said that Baratov and three others – alleged Russian spies – were indicted for computer hacking, economic espionage and other crimes.
All four are alleged to have hacked into Yahoo’s systems and stolen information from more than 500 million user accounts.
Baratov’s lawyer previously described the allegations against his client as unfounded.
His parents, Akhmet and Dinara Tokbergenov, feel the same way.
In an interview with CNN, Baratov’s parents said they feel their son has been misrepresented in the media.
They described him as a generous son who always looked after his family.
“When we were sick, he took care of us,” his father told CNN.
Baratov’s now-deleted social media accounts painted an image of a man who relished his affluent lifestyle.
Many of the photos boasted a lavish lifestyle full of luxury cars and money.
His parents told CNN that those images don’t reflect their son
“He created an image, I think, but in reality he’s a different person,” his mother said. “He’s so kind and he’s so quiet. He’s always willing to help.”
Baratov was indicted along with 33-year-old Aleksandrovich Dokuchaev, 43-year-old Igor Anatolyevich Sushchin and 29-year-old Alexsey Alexseyevich (Magg) Belan – all Russian nationals and residents.
U.S. authorities have previously described them as Russian intelligence agents who devised and directed the email hacks.
Akhmet Tokbergenov said he’s never heard his son mention any of the other suspects.
“I know that he was good with computers and operated a computer business. That’s what I know,” Tokbergenov said.
“My son and we… We don’t know those three people. We’ve never heard their names.”
Last week, The Canadian Press reported that U.S. authorities believe Baratov is a “hacker-for-hire” who was paid by members of the Russian Federal Security Service.
Those allegations led U.S. authorities to deem Baratov as an “extremely high flight risk.” He has been remanded in custody since his last court date.
“We’re just four of us, he would never leave us because he always feels like he’s responsible for us,” Baratov’s mother said, holding back tears.
“He knows I would die if he went somewhere... I just want him back home.”
If he is successfully extradited to the U.S. and convicted, Baratov faces as much as 29.5 years in prison.
CTV News Toronto has learned the Ancaster home Baratov was living in was sold just after his arrest, with his parents listed as the primary owners.
Baratov originally bought the house in September of 2015 with his parents listed only as co-owners.
The home had been listed for $929,000 and sold at around $850,000.
